Multi-choice firing mechanism



6, 1963 A. M. STOTT 3,099,961

MULTI-CHOICE FIRING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 15, 1962 INVENTOR.

ALBERT M. STOTT BY jyfima M92992 91P ATTORNEY United states Patent fifice d fi fiflhl Fatented Aug. 63, 1963 3,tl99,9dl MULTl-CHOKCE G ltdEtZlilAliiEsll l Albert M. Stott, Clifton Heights, Pa, assignor to the United fitatcs of America as represented by the Secretally of the Army Filed Feb. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 173.,ii'79 2 Claims. (61. NZ-7h) (Granted under This 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 2.66)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to propellant actuated firing mechanisms. It provides an improved mechanism which is simple in construction and operates with a high degree of reliability.

Under conditions where danger to personnel can be involved, it is highly desirable that alternate means be provided for firing the propellant of a propellant actuated mechanism. This is especially so in the case of rocket escape systems. Here safety :of personnel demands that alternate firing mechanisms be available and that such mechanisms be interlocked to prevent their unintentional or incorrect sequential operation. The present invention accomplishes these results by means of a simple compact mechanism wherein a single control member is adapted to be moved either manually or by a gas pressure to actuate 3, firing pin.

The invention will be better understood from the following desciption when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the improved firing mechanism, and

FIG. 2 illustrates a means for locking a movable control member to a fixed part of the mechanism.

As indicated by FIG. 1, the mechanism includes a housing l which has an outlet 11 in which is fixed a filter member 12. At the other end of the housing is an explosive cartridge 13, a striker 14 and a member 15 which forms a guideway for a firing pin 16. Also fixed to this same end of the housing lil is a cylindrical member 17 forming external and internal radially spaced cylindrical portions between which is placed a piston 21 as shown in the drawing.

This cylindrical member has an internal shoulder 18, an annular recess 19 and a gas inlet 20 which leads to the inner end of the annular recess d9. A piston 21 is movable in the recess 19 by a gas pressure applied through the inlet 20.

A movable control member 22 is integral with a lanyard pin 23 which is locked to the firing pin 16 by balls 24, only one of which is shown. A spring 25 encircles the lanyard pin 23 and extends between the shoulder 18 and the firing pin 16. In the standby condition of the mechanism, the movable control member 22 is locked to the cylindrical member 17 by a safety pin 26 as indicated by FIG. 2 which is a section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

When the cartridge 13 is to be fired, the safety pin is removed and the control member 22 is moved away from the cylindrical member 17 either by a lanyard looped through the eye 27 of the member 22 or by a gas pressure applied through the inlet 29 or generated by the fining of a primer 2%, moving piston 21, control member 22, and lanyard pin 23 downward or to the left in FIG. 1.

As the member 22 moves away from the member 17 the spring 25' is compressed and the balls 24 are moved along the inner periphery of the guideway 15 until they reach a groove 29. At this point, the balls 24 move outwardly into the groove releasing the firing pin 15 from the lanyard pin 23. Thereupon the firing pin is actuated by the spring to fire the cartridge 13. As is customary in mechanisms of this character, sealing rings are provided between surfaces which are relatively movable. An abutment or stop is shown in the drawing to limit movement of piston 21 in each direction.

I claim:

1. In a source of propellant pressure of the type having a housing, a cartridge therein, a firing pin by means of which said cartridge is fired, a lanyard pin, a ball lock connecting said firing pin and lanyard pin, a coil spring surrounding said lanyard pin cooperating at one end with said firing pin and at its opposite end with a member fixed with respect to said housing, and means for releasing said ball look after a predetermined travel of said firing pin with said lanyard pin whereby upon release of said firing pin from said lanyard pin said spring drives the firing pin to fire said cartridge, said housing being provided with an outlet passageway for propellant gas pressure from said cartridge, the combination therewith of the improvement whereby said firing pin may be actuated by either a lanyard attached to said lanyard pin or by a separate source of gas pressure from that generated by said cartridge, said improvement including a cylindrical member secured to said housing and comprising external and internal radially spaced cylindrical portions, 2. piston between said spaced cylindrical portions, a control member connecting said piston and lanyard pin longitudinally outside said internal cylindrical portion, said internal cylindrical portion having an internal shoulder closing said cylindrical portion and forming an abutment for an end of said coil spring remote from said firing pin, said external cylindrical portion having an inlet passageway for pas pressure for actuating said piston, and an eye attached to said control member to which a lanyard may be attached for manually firing said cartridge and whereby said cartridge may be fired either by gas pressure or manually.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which said inlet passageway for gas pressure includes a junction of passageways of substantially different cross sectional areas and the outlet passageway from said housing leads to an aircraft ejection seat catapult.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,873,648 Musser et a1. Feb. 17, 1959 2,949,822 Musser Aug. 23, 1960 2,966,849 Joiner Jan. 3, 1961 3,015,270 Domingos et \al. Ian. 2, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,761 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1958 

1. IN A SOURCE OF PROPELLANT PRESSURE OF THE TYPE HAVING A HOUSING, A CARTRIDGE THEREIN, A FIRING PIN BY MEANS OF WHICH SAID CARTRIDGE IS FIRED, A LANYARD PIN, A BALL LOCK CONNECTING SAID FIRING PIN AND LANYARD PIN, A COIL SPRING SURROUNDING SAID LANYARD PIN COOPERATING AT ONE END WITH SAID FIRING PIN AND AT ITS OPPOSITE END WITH A MEMBER FIXED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOUSING, AND MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID BALL LOCK AFTER A PREDETERMINED TRAVEL OF SAID FIRING PIN WITH SAID LANYARD PIN WHEREBY UPON RELEASE OF SAID FIRING PIN FROM SAID LANYARD PIN SAID SPRING DRIVES THE FIRING PIN TO FIRE SAID CARTRIDGE, SAID HOUSING BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET PASSAGEWAY FOR PROPELLANT GAS PRESSURE FROM SAID CARTRIDGE, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREBY SAID FIRING PIN MAY BE ACTUATED BY EITHER A LANYARD ATTACHED TO SAID LANYARD PIN OR BY A SEPARATE SOURCE OF GAS PRESSURE FROM THAT GENERATED BY SAID CARTRIDGE, SAID IMPROVEMENT INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER SECURED TO SAID HOUSING AND COMPRISING EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL RADIALLY SPACED CYLINDRICAL PORTIONS, A PISTON BETWEEN SAID SPACED CYLINDRICAL PORTIONS, A CONTROL MEMBER CONNECTING SAID PISTON AND LANYARD PIN LONGITUDINALLY OUTSIDE SAID INTERNAL CYLINDRICAL PORTION, SAID INTERNAL CYLINDRICAL PORTION HAVING AN INTERNAL SHOULDER CLOSING SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND FORMING AN ABUTMENT FOR AN END OF SAID COIL SPRING REMOTE FROM SAID FIRING PIN, SAID EXTERNAL CYLINDRICAL PORTION HAVING AN INLET PASSAGEWAY FOR PAS PRESSURE FOR ACTUATING SAID PISTON, AND AN EYE ATTACHED TO SAID CONTROL MEMBER TO WHICH A LANYARD MAY BE ATTACHED FOR MANUALLY FIRING SAID CARTRIDGE AND WHEREBY SAID CARTRIDGE MAY BE FIRED EITHER BY GAS PRESSURE OR MANUALLY. 